When Nothing Else Matters
by edwardsgirl16
Summary: When nothing else matters, everything does. The pieces fall into place, one by one. Warning: Character death.


**Well, this is my first attempt at something like this. I had to completely change my writing style to even ****try**** to write even the first sentence. So please…tell me what you think but please be nice about it.**

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"Cloud…Cloud…wake up. Come on, Cloud…why are you asleep?"

Cloud Strife opened his eyes, sunlight streaming through the partially open window next to him. He closed his eyes again, seeing nothing but the darkness for a few seconds.

"He's still asleep."

"Then go wake him up."

"Let him sleep. He needs it."

Voices floated through the closed steel door, slightly muffled by the metal. Cloud could tell who they were by tone alone. A calm but slightly worried voice…Tifa. The insisting voice that gave a small sigh…Reno. And the calm deep voice that only one person had…Vincent.

"Wake him up," Reno insisted again, brows furrowing together slightly.

"Reno, if Cloud did everything Shinra wanted, he wouldn't get a moment's rest," Tifa said.

"She's right," Vincent agreed. "Let him sleep."

Cloud watched the door, his fingers drumming a few times on the blankets he sat on. His boots creaked on the wooden floor as he crossed the room, looking out the window. His motorcycle sat in the middle of an empty wooden arch a few feet away. Sun bounced off the black paint, bouncing off to create light patterns in the dirt around it.

The blonde turned back to the door, voices still floating through it. "I'm sorry…Tifa," he apologized quietly, climbing out the window. He climbed onto his motorcycle, riding away.

"Cloud…why are you running away."

Cloud stood up in the white space of his mind, grass bending under his boots. Standing behind him, a woman in a pink dress, her brown hair kept back in a braid with a pink scarf.

"Why are you running away, Cloud?" she asked again, lifting a flower up in her hands.

Cloud closed his eyes as the pleasant fragrance wafted into him. He let out a breath, turning his head to the side. "I'm not running away," he finally said.

"Then what are you doing?"

Cloud let out another breath. "I need to think," he tried explaining. "Somewhere I can be alone."

"Oh." The woman gave a small smile. "Be careful, Cloud."

The blonde looked out at the path ahead of him. Pure white trees surrounded the path, the branches brushing against each other as the path moved on. Memories from past times flashed in front of his eyes in short spurts, pebbles spraying behind him as he skidded to a stop.

Zack smiling at him as he leaned against a tree, arms crossed…

A flash of a sword…

Sephiroth grinning down at the fallen…

Sephiroth's hand protruding from Zack's chest…

Blood staining the scenery around…

The evil grin on Sephiroth's face as he pulled out his sword, wiping the blood on Zack's shirt…

The look on his face as he approached Cloud…

Cloud cleared his head, the memories retreating to the dark recesses of his mind. His head snapped up as a stick snapped behind him, his hands instinctively reaching to grab one of the many swords hidden in his motorcycle.

"Big brother, how nice of you to join us."

Cloud's eyes met the cold green ones of Kadaj. Sephiroth's face flashed for a split second. "You're just in time for the reunion," Kadaj continued, a smirk tugging at the edges of his mouth.

"What reunion?" Cloud watched Kadaj circle slowly around him. "Jenova is gone. Shinra made sure of it."

"And you think we don't know how to bring her back?" Kadaj scoffed. "She is the reason our brother Sephiroth is not with us. We will bring her back." His eyes narrowed. "And you will watch."

"Impossible," Cloud stated, his sword hand tightening considerably.

"Well, to bring Mother back, yes," Kadaj agreed, still circling around the blonde, "but a dear old friend of mine told me how to bring Sephiroth back."

"Kadaj may only be a remnant of Sephiroth…" Cloud saw Yazoo come towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"But he can be used to bring him back." Loz lurked behind Yazoo.

"It will require some sacrifice, of course," Yazoo added.

"I will not let you bring back Sephiroth," Cloud said, lurching forward with his sword.

"Oh, but we will," Kadaj said, his sword clashing with Cloud's. "And you, my brother, will watch."

Cloud's eyes widened as electricity jolted through his veins, the tips of Loz's weapon protruding from the back of his neck. "I don't think you'll be needing this," Kadaj said, plucking the sword from the blonde's paralyzed hand. He turned and jammed it through the trunk of a tree until it wouldn't move anymore.

Loz retracted his weapon, Yazoo settling the barrel of his gun in the hollow of Cloud's throat. "Watch, brother," Kadaj said, watching Loz trek into the Forbidden City, "watch as Sephiroth is reborn."

"Let me go, you jerks!!"

"Hey, not so rough, will ya?"

"What do you want with us?"

Cloud watched in horror as Loz drug out Yuffie, Cid, and Tifa, their arms bound together behind their backs.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled, the blonde stiffening.

"I'm not watching this," Cloud whispered, closing his eyes.

"Open your eyes, brother," Yazoo ordered, the barrel of his gun pressing almost painfully into Cloud's neck just under his jawbone. "The fun is just about to begin."

Loz pushed Yuffie to her knees; Kadaj drew his sword. "Are you watching, brother?" the silverette asked. He pressed the tip of his sword up in the hollow of the ninja's throat.

"Cloud?" Yuffie gulped a little, the tip of Kadaj's sword slicing through her skin.

Cloud was helpless to watch as Kadaj drew his sword along the width of Yuffie's throat, thick blood flowing freely to stain the ground below. The young ninja slumped to the ground as Loz pulled his hand back. A silver wine glass was placed under her throat, the red liquid filling a small portion.

Cid's eyes widened in horror as Kadaj turned for him, drops of Yuffie's blood running along the length. "Wait a minute!" he yelled. Kadaj only smirked, making quick work of the blonde's neck. Again, the wine glass.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled as Kadaj turned her way.

"Tifa!" Cloud tried to move, but Yazoo's gun still pressed hard into his skin. "Kadaj, you can't do this!"

"But, brother," Kadaj smirked, bringing his sword up to rest against the soft skin of Tifa's neck, "we are so close. Sephiroth is almost returned to us." He pressed his sword harder against Tifa. "And it's all thanks to you, brother." The sword moved.

"Tifa!!!"

Tifa's lifeless body dropped to the ground, the wine glass now completely full. "Sephiroth is reborn," Kadaj said. He lifted the glass to his lips, the thick liquid inside running down his throat.

The glass dropped to the ground.

Kadaj doubled over, small whimpers tearing themselves from his throat.

A bright light shone for a second.

Sephiroth stood up straight, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "Cloud," he said. His eyes slowly opened again, green eyes flashing. Yazoo released the blonde, following Loz and Sephiroth away.

"Cloud, what's wrong?"

Cloud turned his head, standing once again in the blank of his mind. "They're gone," he said softly.

"Hmm?" The woman ran her finger over the waxy petals in her hand. "Who's gone?"

"They're gone," the blonde repeated.

"Cloud."

A hand reached under his chin, pulling his head up. Tifa smiled at him, a strand of her hair falling over her tired eyes. "Tifa," Cloud whispered, "I'm sorry."

Tifa gave a small smile. "Don't be sorry," she said. "You couldn't have done anything."

"Yes, I could've." Cloud bowed his head again.

The woman sighed. "Dilly dally shilly shally," she said. "Are you just going to stay here, Cloud?"

A smile forced its way on to Cloud's face.

The blonde mounted his motorcycle, pulling his sword out forcefully as he rode past it. He made his way back to the house.

"Reno," he called, walking through the front door. "Rufus."

"Looking for Shinra?"

Cloud spun on his heel; Sephirtoh stood against the wall, wiping off the end of his sword with a piece of bloodied white cloth. "Sephiroth," he said, holding his sword out in front of him.

"Did you miss me, Cloud?" the silverette asked. He lunged forward suddenly, their swords clashing as the blonde was pushed against the wall. "Because I missed you."

Cloud pushed forward. Swords clashed and sparks flew as the fight escalated outside, both men flying through the air, each trying to incapacitate their opponent.

"What happened to Yazoo and Loz?" Cloud panted, landing in a crouch on the dirt. "Did you kill them, too?"

"It seems they can't live long without their brother," Sephiroth replied, no sign of fatigue in his breath or movements.

"Then leave and bring Kadaj back!" Cloud yelled, striking forward.

"You would miss me, Cloud," Sephiroth stated calmly. He looked around, just now noticing the trap he'd stepped into. Surrounding him on all sides were all of Cloud's swords, each pulsating with a blue glow.

Cloud struck

Sword after sword pierced Sephiroth's skin, tearing him apart. Cloud finally came to a stop, watching the silverette literally falling apart.

"I would never miss you," he said, the last remnants of Sephiroth disintegrating into the air around.

"Cloud."

Cloud looked around in his mind once again. "You did it, Cloud," the woman said.

"I told you not to be sorry," Tifa said, her hands perched on her hips.

"No more dilly dally shilly shally," Cloud said.

"No more dilly dally shilly shally," the woman agreed.

A smile forced itself on to the blonde's face again. "Thank you…Aerith."

Aerith smiled, Zack coming up behind her. "I knew you could do it, Cloud," she said, letting the flower she'd held go.

Cloud looked around him from where he stood in the middle of his swords in the dirt. He watched as the white flower floated and rode the wind, flying out of sight and into the sky.

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**I am finally done!! This is about 6 pages in my notebook in my tiny handwriting. This story is probably my baby and took my 2 weeks to write. Please be nice because I had to completely change my writing style and have never written something like this before.**

**R & R please!!!**


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